Shy Boy and his Friend Shock the Audience with The Prayer - Unbelievable

Shy Boy and his Friend Shock the Audience with The Prayer - Unbelievable

We don't own a tele so there seemed a lot of distracting visual
things on here but once we found the "show" and met the 
characters they rocked our world!!!


We're posting (thank you Auntie ConniElfPie) and
dedicating this to those have ever been bullied for 
being different. We were cruelly "dumped" in January
by someone we previous considered an affectionate  
friend who, without being aware of my health or loss 
of any of our guinea pigs...said (to paraphrase) that 
I was just too broken...NEVER contact again, didn't 
need any more broken people.


We always thought friends were there to hold us during
our most vulnerable times, like that girl and her talented, 
shy friend who then remained loyal to her (you'll see, we hope.)


And we loved the magnet we recently saw that said:
"Friends are people who know us really, really, really

well and still love us just the way we are." 

The "Original" Art Studio...

 

 

There was a simpler time in a simpler place
where this was all we had...plus paper.
Because most of our lives were lived outdoors
where the eagles flew over us, long branches
in talons to bolster nests battered during harsh, 
windy winters, when chickadee-dee-dees
sang at our suet feeders often covered beneath
a million soft, grey feathery titmice wings beating
as one...fragrances long forgotten wafted into open 
windows and we could inhale fresh rain rolling in from 
over the North Cascades to nourish and replenish 
New Beginnings on
the marsh where wood ducks, mallards, buffleheads,
virginia rails, beavers, muskrats, red-winged blackbirds,
and often unidentifiable avian life woke us up with
symphonies at 4 a.m. which kept us sleeping
in a day bed beneath the window for ten years
so we never missed one free concert or cologne sample
from newly sprouting wildflowers, even planted
randomly from a neighbor's deck.


This morning here in town a bald eagle flew over
our building for the first time since we have lived here!
We have our pair of "townies" and have seen a merlin
and tales of snowy owls some winters are told in
tales from times long ago but this morning his
glistening white head and tail made me drop my
jaw in awe! We are close enough to both the Bay
and salmon streams for that not to be unusual, but
they don't often come this far inland, the pair.


Now the art studio...and life...is paperwork.
Medical. Social services. Art stuff.


But Trader Joe sells beautiful orchids for $9.99.
We have a purple one.
And an early bedtime.
We love living downtown.
Never have to drive.


And life is simpler for many other reasons.


Just not those.


Sweet dreams...

FIRST LOVE...

 

They say you never forget first love.
While it's not exactly spring-like-love weather here,
we came across this portrait of PandaPig offering
to share his lettuce with Chai the Bengal Cat, both
rescues, both best friends, no matter how hysterical
mom's friends got because Chai was actually bred
so close to the real Bengal cat he wasn't even
considered a domesticated animal of "pet quality."
Sometimes one discovers a Very Special Guinea Pig who 
- though terribly neglected, unwanted, and unloved -
is really a
"Wild Cat Whisperer" and while always under
close supervision at all times, these two remained
inseparable friends until mom's brain injury didn't 
allow her to "walk him" twice a day out in the wilds
so he went to live with Edwin in Seattle with his 
snarky, long-haired, Cleopatra-esque, Tortie-Royale
Gal-pal, Sami, (rescues all) who - when you really 
think about it, ultimately ended up rescuing 
mom and Edwin from a life of mediocrity and
purposelessness. Now their missions are to keep
our lives from ever becoming mediocre!!!
And they do it with panache!


PandaPig's Infinite LOVE for all creatures 
inspired this Sanctuary, him and me, cuz when mom 
brought me here, Panda cared for baby YumYum like I 
was his baby; just like I almost, sorta, kinda, some of the 
time in the very beginning took care of VinnyGuinea...
And still do sometimes when I feel like it.


love,
YumYum
(wiping tear...don't look!)



(p.s. why some words showing up red? anybody know?
we not doing it.)

Tally-Ho!

 

Today the physical therapist came
for the last time, following three 
good consecutive days, if you don't 
count the pothole, not sure if we 
mentioned it...so we are helping
mom reconfigure the living room
so she thinks she has an art studio
(heh-heh!) when actually we will
only have more "munchies" in our
Free-Range Runabouts!
Tally-Ho!
P.S. We heard that Daniel Craig who
plays James Bond who we have never
seen is going to open the 2012 Olympics
by parachuting into the Stadium and 
simply wanted you all to know he has
invited us to be his personal guests tucked
into his pockets so even though you may 
not see us, Fairy...just IMAGINE!

I'M OUTTA HERE!

 

AT LEAST WE AIN'T MOM...TAKE 2

 

YumYum, I miss you!


I haz an IDEA!


 

Climb over my cage into YumYum's cage...

 

Can't be that hard for such a smart boy like me...

 

Just kinda sidle up to the top of my hay bin
which I usually do from the side so why I doin'
it from the front, that not sidling? Think, lil'Vinny,
THINK~THINK~THINK like a big boy...

 

O.K. I haz the answer.
O.K. I doesn't haz the answer.


 

YumYum, I miss you, remember me? Vinny,
your old pal and how we shared one sleeping
sack together and kept each other warm and
played? Remember me? I miss you...

 

Hi YumYum, Bhindi here, wanna share breakfast?
No?
Well, O.K. I can be philosophical:
At least we ain't MOM "gettin' ready" 
for First Friday Art Walk!
HOLY OWL HORK, YUM-YUM,
she in trubble now!
"NICE STUDIO, MA!"
(all da piggiez laughin' and laughin' and rollin'
over on their sides kickin' their wee liddle feet
out wid da giggleZ!)



 

"I AM ORGANIZEDD!!DD!!
Was that a goat?
Who ate my reading glasses?
See where that ORANGE
ARROW is on the next shot?
Yeah, you know what I's talkin'
about. Who ate that last card I made?
Seriously, is there a goat in here?
 

oh my.

WE ALL MISS YUM-YUM AND GONNA GETZ HIM, TOO!

TODAY IS "GET ORGANIZED AND
FOCUS!" DAY WHICH IS WHY I
JUST DOWNLOADED ALMOST THE
EXACT SAME PHOTOGRAPHS
TWICE WITHOUT REALIZING
IT BECAUSE I WAS HEATING
CANNED BEANS IN THE MICROWAVE,
FEEDING THE PIGGIES,
TRYING NOT TO STEP ON ANYTHING
BREAKABLE WHICH IS EVERYTHING
ON THE FLOOR, TRYING TO STAY
HYDRATED, ORGANIZE THE CARD-
MAKING PROCESS BACKWARDS SINCE
I CAN'T DO IT FORWARDS, KEEP MY SPIRITS
S O A R I N G
AND
LET'S FACE IT...
all you friends love me just the way I am
which means you are perfect friends, the
best kind in the whole world because it's
easy to love the pretty people but you love
the ones with rodents and floors like mine
and blogs like this and kept me going this
winter when I couldn't stop crying, so I'm
not going to erase this in shame I'm going
to leave it here knowing you are all 
accepting, patient, hopefully laughing and
going "Whew! and I thought I had problems!"
and because I love you and so do
YumYum, VinnyGuinea (especially Auntie 
Connie better call him, he is the first obsessive-
compulsive talking piggie I have ever met and 
if he knows she is on the phone goes to it and
actually starts telling her all his problems: TRUE!)
AND BEAUTIFUL BHINDI!
as we say in India, 
LOVE INFINITE.


YumYum: "Mom, we ain't in India..."
Bhindi: "Shhhhh.....just shhhhh...."




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF IT'S ART DAY IT'S...WELL, YOU KNOW!

 

NO OFFENSE but up here in the Great
Pacific Northwest on the road up to Mt. Baker
is a little place the locals stop at to get
"locked and loaded" and we mean no foolin'
around! THESE LATTES SERVED IN
SOUP BOWLS EACH CONTAIN AT LEAST
TWO MEGA-SHOTS OF ESPRESSO AND...
(Hmmm...to do art or go skiing?)
Are capable of rendering even the most
intellectually endowed amongst us 
(STOP LAUGHING
RIGHT THIS MINUTE!)
quite delusional!
Now, where did I put the glue?
My Queendom for some glue!

THANK YOU, MARIFUN!

 

OUR FRIEND, MARIFUN knows how much
mom gets her britches in a bunch when First Friday
Art Walk comes along (as if for the very first time,
every time! A-MAZE-ING!) and sent mom some
real good advice and a spot o'tea with some friends
to help keep us all focused. No doubt this'll work!
(heh-heh-right!)


THANK YOU, MARIFUN!

GOODBYE FIRST BEGINNINGS, TIME TO START ANEW IN 2012

DON'T READ THIS IT WAS
LIKE FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE
MORNING AND I WAS
SLEEP-TYPING AND
EATING FROZEN
TOASTER WAFFLES...
REALLY.
THIS WOULD BE TIME 
YOU WILL NEVER GET
BACK IN YOUR LIFE:
DON'T WASTE IT HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barnyard Jazz (see close-up)^^^

YES, you've seen these about a million
times before but it's 3:13 a.m. and clearly
I cannot drink a double-shot latte after
12 noon, it's that simple. These cards were
a step in the door and, frankly, I must thank
MARIFUN and Ms. A for being with me
the first time I made them because,
let's face it, other than knowing I needed
to be listening to vintage Eric Clapton
(ROCK ON, SLOW-HAND!)
I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE...
as if i have one NOW.


But I need art therapy because my heart
and soul are screaming to be let out of
the frozen Silence which has enslaved them
since January 1, 2012, and the shields will
be a VOICE more powerful, yet quieter than 
a chain-saw.


Raw, primitive, visceral, survivalist,
ancient, indigenous, reminiscent of 
cultures who valued their elders instead
of locking them away in nursing "homes" ~
 I am going to scream through my hands,
non-toxic glue, paint, leaves, ink, hand-made paper, 
things found on the sidewalk, 
things insisting they grow and thrive between cracks 
in the sidewalk, and drawings scribbled on napkins 
in cafes. The only way out is through and if
I am screaming to tell my guinea pigs I love
them but never got a chance to, I will wail.
For all the changes in my lifestyle, those are
adaptable. But my babies I will never hold again...
Must make a shield to remind me it was worth
the sacrifice and love is the only thing in live
that the more you give of it, the more you receive.
I miss them terribly, still.
Little rodents!


Now that "The Great Thaw" has begun
so does the "Tribal Tribute" to of you 
those who saw me through those darkest days, you
 deserve honoring now. How happy these shields
will make me thinking of you the entire time!
An earthy way of honoring YOU,
much like people once honored heroes, tied to
the land, sea, sky, tides, moon cycles;
art painted onto cave walls, etched in
stone for eternity. That's what friends are for.
I have never needed you more.
And there you were!
~

SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVIN' WAS EASY...

 

If you look hard enough between the pond
and cattails you can see the little trail that 
leads into the woods that leads to the waterfalls
that leads to the salmon stream that lead to
many, many places with rocks and rushing
glacial melt and a barred owl surveying his
kingdom at dusk if you are lucky enough for him to 
let you see where he is perched in the open on 
"his branch" hanging over Whatcom Creek where 
dipper birds dipped and dove.
He presides.
The bald eagles nest to the left of the pond.
This is what waking up felt like:
REAL! FRAGRANT! TINGLY: STARVING
WITH CURIOSITY TO GRAB MY BINOCULARS, 
UNABLE TO WAIT TO  LACE UP MY BOOTS 
AND HIT THAT TRAIL SILENTLY WITH REVERENCE, SEEKING  BALD EAGLE FEATHERS (YES, A FEDERAL
OFFENSE BUT I DID OFFER THEM TO MY NATIVE AMERICAN ART TEACHER, DOES THAT COUNT?)
DISCOVERING BUFFLEHEADS HAD ARRIVED, FLOWERS 
WERE BLOOMING, PICKING RIPE,
WILD BLACKBERRIES, THE WOOD DUCKLINGS WERE ALL HITHER-AND-THITHER!
DISCOVERING MR. BEAVER HIDING STEALTHILY BENEATH LAST YEAR'S FALLEN CATTAILS NEAR SHORE...LONG, LONG BRANCHES IN HIS MOUTH
READY TO REFASHION HIS LODGE WITH AN
EXTREME BEAVER MAKEOVER!
AT DUSK HE WOULD ACTUALLY SIT ON TOP
OF IT AND ALL OF US WOULD WATCH HIM
FROM DECKS IN SHEER AMAZEMENT!
HE WAS A GUY. HE WAS PROUD OF HIS
"DO IT YOURSELF" ATTITUDE.
JUST ANOTHER AMERICAN GUY, YEAH?!
'TWAS A GIFT.

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